United States, New York City.
Benjamin stood on the rooftop of an old apartment building in Midtown Manhattan, holding a newly activated smartphone, watching the latest stock quote for Vought International scroll across the screen.
He put the phone in his jacket pocket and turned to go down the stairs.
A week ago.
He was still at an abandoned military base on the Russian border.
And now, having gotten rid of that Russian military coat, he wore a brown-green leather jacket bought from a thrift store.
With his beard and hair neatly trimmed, he walked down the sidewalk of Seventh Avenue in Brooklyn, attracting an excessive amount of attention.
Honestly, that face was truly handsome; after all, the Queen of England had once sat on it…
Benjamin passed by a convenience store window and caught his reflection.
His build was robust, his features sharp, and the maturity and determination of someone in their thirties or forties were reflected on his face.
The disheveled vagrant image had completely disappeared; in his current state, no one would hesitate to call him a washed-up Hollywood action star.
He stopped, and his gaze settled on a huge electronic billboard across the street.
The billboard showed some activities of Translucent from The Seven.
Benjamin stared at the billboard for five seconds, the corners of his lips slightly curved.
Translucent was still alive.
That was quite interesting…
He continued walking, crossed two blocks, sat down at an outdoor table at a café, ordered a black coffee, and began to sort out the timeline of events.
On the storefront television across the street, the noon program of Vought News Network was playing.
The anchor was ranting, boasting about a bank robbery that the superheroes had prevented.
This was the beginning of the first season.
Queen Maeve was still in The Seven acting as their feminist icon, The Deep was still having sex with dolphins in the aquarium, and Homelander was still pretending to be impeccably upright.
And Starlight, also known as Annie January.
That innocent blonde girl hadn’t officially joined The Seven yet.
In other words, it was most likely that Hughie Campbell’s girlfriend, Robin, was still alive.
Benjamin finished the last sip of his coffee, put the cup down on the table, and used his phone’s browser to find an electronics store.
As you can see, the Benjamin of now was not the Benjamin of before; he wouldn’t be like that centenarian who didn’t understand modern gadgets.
He had spent three days scouting the area.
He knew perfectly well the location of the store, as well as the tall, skinny, bespectacled employee, Hughie Campbell, who always wore a kind smile.
Benjamin had even gone specifically to the store to buy a phone charger just to get a close look at this future key member of “The Boys.”
Hughie Campbell was, without a doubt, a good guy.
So good that it was impossible to bear seeing him suffer any tragedy.
Benjamin evaluated internally.
…
The next morning, at eight o’clock.
Benjamin appeared promptly in front of this electronics store in Brooklyn.
He carried with him a large iron bucket he had bought at a hardware store.
Inside were three full gallons of industrial-grade lubricant, extremely viscous with top-tier adhesion, capable of forming an oil film on the asphalt road surface that was more slippery than ice.
He found a fire hydrant diagonally across from the store to sit on, and placed the iron bucket at his feet.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the store, he could clearly see Hughie Campbell inside, helping a customer.
Hughie Campbell wore a navy blue uniform, held the latest tablet, and was showing some of its features to the girl.
His body language while speaking showed enthusiasm, occasionally adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and his smile was completely harmless.
Benjamin watched the scene, unscrewing the lid of the iron bucket with an impassive expression.
“As it happens, it’s the beginning of the first episode.”
He recited silently in his heart.
From Russia back to the United States, it took him a week, with no super-speed, no ability to fly.
His speed was that of an ordinary person.
But that was precisely the least of his concerns.
Sooner or later, the matter of teaching Homelander a lesson would be on the agenda.
By then, he could acquire super-speed and the ability to fly.
By then, combined with his current abilities, he would have no weaknesses.
The store door opened.
Hughie Campbell and Robin came out holding hands, chatting with each other.
Hughie Campbell spoke with laughter, and Robin elbowed him in the side, joking that he was too absorbed in his story.
They stood for a moment at the store entrance and then walked slowly down the sidewalk.
A yellow taxi was parked by the roadside in front of the store entrance, with a poster of A-Train on its roof.
Benjamin picked up the iron bucket, stood up, and followed the two.
Soon.
Hughie Campbell and Robin stopped at an intersection.
Robin stood at the edge of the sidewalk; half a step away was the street with its bustling traffic.
Hughie Campbell stood in front of her, gesturing with both hands as he said something, making Robin laugh.
Benjamin stopped about a hundred meters from Robin.
He crouched down and tilted the iron bucket, and the viscous lubricant spilled over the edge and spread along the curb.
He took out a long-handled brush he had picked up next to a trash can and spread the oil layer evenly to ensure sufficient coverage.
A-Train’s route.
His speed was excessive, so fast that the human eye could barely track his trajectory.
Robin’s flesh and blood would burst into a cloud of blood the moment he collided with her.
A-Train’s speed allowed him to handle it like a walk in the park; intercepting him was practically impossible.
Benjamin could use his body to block him in advance, but he didn’t need to block him.
He also had no intention of being hit by A-Train, to avoid getting covered in blood.
It’s true that, based on his own physical strength, if A-Train hit him, even if he didn’t die, he would at least lose half his life, and if his physical strength was even lower, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to become mincemeat himself.
Of course, if Robin died after this, Benjamin wouldn’t have much to say; he had done everything he could, hadn’t he?
“Humm-”
A low-frequency hum came from the end of the street.
A-Train was approaching.
Then his right foot stepped on the oil slick.
The next instant, A-Train’s body flew out like a derailed cannonball, then crashed violently onto the road, sliding for nearly twenty meters before stopping on the side of the road.
“SHIT!!”
A-Train curled up on the ground.
His hands gripped his right knee tightly, the leg armor of his suit was shattered, and blood could be vaguely seen seeping from inside.
His face was smeared with lubricant and road grime, his expression contorted with intense pain, and he kept cursing.
Suddenly, he raised his head and his bloodshot eyes fixed on Benjamin, who was holding the oil bucket.
Benjamin shrugged and tossed the empty iron bucket to the side of the road.
Subsequently, he walked a few steps toward A-Train, looking down at this superhero of The Seven.
“Hey, you son of a bitch, you’re in such a hurry to be reincarnated.”
Benjamin shouted,
“If I hadn’t made you fall, you would have torn that woman apart.
Aren’t you going to get up and thank me?”
Hughie Campbell and Robin were startled by the loud noise and turned around at the same time.
Robin’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
She saw A-Train on the ground, saw the oil slick crossing the lane, then stepped back following the tracks left on the oil slick, until finally her gaze settled on the curb beneath her own feet.
Instinctively, she took two steps back, almost falling, but Hughie Campbell caught her.
Hughie Campbell’s hands were trembling.
He looked at A-Train on the ground, then at the oil slick track, and then at the place where he had been standing a moment ago.
If A-Train hadn’t slipped.
Following his trajectory, the next step would have been a direct collision with Robin.
Given A-Train’s speed and physical condition, Robin would undoubtedly have died…
Just as that guy had said.
Hughie Campbell held Robin tightly, feeling very scared.
Benjamin looked at him, took out his phone from his pocket, and took a photo of A-Train on the ground.
“Bitch.”
A-Train cursed angrily.
But he was wrong.
Apart from insulting Benjamin, he didn’t make any other move and got up to leave.
“What did you say?”
Benjamin turned his head, extended his fist, and punched A-Train, who was on the ground, right in the head.
A sharp, stabbing pain immediately shot through A-Train’s head.
This punch left A-Train dazed, and his nose began to bleed; mind you, he was a superhero…
A-Train was both shocked and furious.
“These punches are to teach you a lesson for your stupidity.”
Benjamin threw another punch, landing several blows to A-Train’s head and leaving him on the ground, nearly unconscious.
It must be said that while A-Train found his redemption in the fifth season, the current A-Train was a genuine piece of trash.
He deserved a beating.